Rokkaken Yoshiyuki (六花軒芳雪) (artist 1835 – 1879)
Osaka courtesans on parade
ca 1860
29 in x 14 in (Overall dimensions) Japanese color woodblock print
Signed: Yoshiyuki ga (?芳雪画)
Carver: 彫工平三
Three sumptuously dressed Osaka courtesans on public display in the spring. Osaka bijin prints are extremely rare; this is a particularly elaborate example. The woman on the left is wearing a robe with a rather fierce looking 'long-tailed' tortoise below and a flying crane above. Both are symbols of longevity. Her obi is decorated with among other things three karigane or wild geese facing inward within an octagon border. The woman in the center is wearing an obi decorated with a very dramatic image of a winged-dragon. Her robes also display repeated images of a crest of a single tied-off scroll. The main decoration on the outer robe of the woman on the right is peonies. Her obi sports a large lion.
Kyōto-Osaka prints (kamigata-e - 上方絵) (genre)
beautiful women (bijin-ga - 美人画) (genre)